Update2: Boat in second migrants rescue in four days
The migrant baby being checked upon being landed in Malta this morning.
(Updated 6.30 a.m.)
The Italian fishing boat Gambero last night rescued its second group of migrants in four days.
The migrants were crammed in a boat which overturned in a choppy sea near the boat, which was towing a tuna pen 52 miles south of Malta
The rescued migrants included an infant only a few months old.
A helicopter from a nearby French frigate, the Germinal, lowered medical personnel onto the Gambero to assist the migrants, particularly a man who was in poor condition having swallowed a quantity of seawater, a woman who had a dislocated shoulder and a pregnant woman who miscarried. Another man was reported missing and a search is being conducted.
The operation was being coordinated by the AFM Operations Centre and the migrants were transferred to a Maltese patrol boat in a difficult operation in the early hours of this morning.They arrived in Malta earlier today.
The Gambero rescued another group of migrants on Monday.
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In Discussion
23 Comments
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George Mifsud
Jun 22nd 2008, 03:20
@F.Camilleri & Joseph Galea
Good on Malta to make it to the EU but it has to carry all the responsibilities of a nation about this factor. Live with illegal migration, do not let this interfere with your daily lives. I'm sure our capable Minister Dr. Carm Mifsud Bonnici has the right attitude. I understand the plight of these people from Africa - they are trying to improve on their standard of living. I left Malta in 1986 when I decided that the then government of the day could not give me a future for my young family.
M.Mercieca
Jun 20th 2008, 12:04
ATTENTION:
Illegal immigrants will keep coming irrelevant who’s is there in the government MLP or PN. Every body knows this fact except some xenophobic and racist peoples who use the illegal immigrants issue as cloak to come into sight patriots like!
Any way all this sort of peoples they can only rant and distribute lies to scaremonger. In reality they don’t even fill (ONE) ballot box! And every time they contest they will be flushed into drainage, similar to what happened in Malta last March AND THIS WHAT REALLY COUNTS.
Anton Sevasta
Jun 20th 2008, 10:41
It is clear that Nautilus 2008 is failing miserably by all its means. More than 200 illegal immigrants landed in Malta in less than 5 days. Is Frontex aware of this?? While it seems that most European countries are not bothered by this humanitarian crisis, Malta is being left alone to cope with the problem. Finally and most importantly, what is Frontex's answer to Nautilus 2008's failure in the Mediterranean??
F. Camilleri
Jun 20th 2008, 10:05
@ Mr. George Mifsud.
Overall, there is no xenophobia (racial intolerance).
The xenophobia argument is put forward by individuals/organisations who try to indoctrinate rather than offer real help and support to their own country.
The people of Malta always helped those in need, irrespective of race.
Being rational demands of us all to face reality and protect our small but beautiful and once peaceful island.
We, whose stance is against illegal immigration, are looking ahead trying to build up the necessary foundations for a solid future our youngsters and children rightly deserve.
ILLEGAL immigrants should be helped in their own countries making ILLEGAL immigration unnecessary.
Why try to burden Malta when you know that our country, due to its size and economy cannot support this burden?
ILLEGAL immigration is a reality already having adverse effects our daily life.
Some unfortunately:
i. do not have the courage to speak out against the negative effects of this reality,
ii. simply do not realise these adverse effects which in the future they have to face
along with their children,
iii. are too concerned about 'today' as if tomorrow never comes,
iv. are simply made to believe that there is no real problem.
Adrian Tabone
Jun 20th 2008, 09:56
Why is everyone calling and complaining to Frontex here ? Let us say Frontex found these group of 26 immigrants, what do you think Frontex will do with them ? Take them back to their country where they will be allegedly tortured and killed? Take them to a random EU country ? The answer is that it will probably take them to closest port, which most probably is going to be Malta (or better than that, call AFM to save them). Frontex can never function properly without cooperation from Libya.
If you go to Frontex site, http://www.frontex.europa.eu/more_about_frontex/ , and you read their tasks, it is all a bunch of bluff filled with bureaucratic content.
This is an interesting video on Euronews
http://www.euronews.net/en/article/06/07/2007/next-stop-europe-migrants-put-pressure-on-malta/
That video states that EU does not want to share the burden with Malta, so that "FORTRESS EUROPE' will not be seen as impenetrable.
Anthony A. Mifsud
Jun 20th 2008, 08:55
Would any one tell what is Grade of the Boat Il Gambero, what *** star or ** Star?
They are doing wonders, but I ask, Why call our Control Tower " Operations " why not calling Rome Operations Centre?
Smells fishie to me.
Tony
Sandro Pace
Jun 20th 2008, 08:47
This is intolerable. Foreign tuna pens, from which we are getting nothing at all, being used as an extension of our territory to bring more immigrants . It is as if Malta moved closer to Libya.
The government is choosing the easy way out, and burden them on Maltese society. History will not be kind to them. Perhaps traffickers heard Dr. Carm Mifsud Bonnici boasting of our readiness. Or Dr. George Vella, wanting to put them in government buildings.
Maltese must learn to make their voice heard. It is their land which is being taken.
Joseph W. Galea
Jun 20th 2008, 08:10
George Mifsud (3 hours, 36 minutes ago)
Seems that the maltese think that the Malta is the whole wide world and not part of the world
I wonder where this xenophobia where is it coming from ??
George, I don't think that Maltese think they are the whole world, what they may think is that they were accepted into the EU so that Malta will be the dumping ground for the Illegals that normally would keep going to mainland Europe.
Who is policing Libya, where all these people start off from?
Joe Scerri
Jun 20th 2008, 07:40
Whilst our totally incompetent government, Frontex and EU watch idly by and doing absolutely nothing, the invasion of unwanted ILLEGAL immigrants continues.
Yes and call me whatever you like, it will not change my mind and the mind of 90% of the Maltese population.
n. camilleri
Jun 20th 2008, 06:39
This is unbelievable!!! Is Frontex real??? where are they?? Don't the authorities realise that this is a pattern? As usual and always in Malta ' U iva issa naraw' it is so frustrating !!! and we maltese citizens are working and paying taxes to pay for this all.
George Mifsud
Jun 20th 2008, 04:25
Seems that the maltese think that the Malta is the whole wide world and not part of the world
I wonder where this xenophobia where is it coming from ??
F. Camilleri
Jun 20th 2008, 02:08
The government and the opposition are politically alienating the public from the issue of illegal immigration.
The government is elected to defend the people; a role the present government is far from playing. One judges by results and not by empty words.
Both our government and opposition are as weak as snowballs in hell re this serious issue.
Having more money in our pockets from promised tax deductions means nothing when compared to the liberty we are daily losing.
Parents and youngsters seem to be unconscious about this issue; or simply they do not care about their own future and the future of their own children.
We as citizens of Malta need action and not empty words and two faced smiles; action which unfortunately revolves in inaction at the helm of both political circles.
Ireland had the guts to say NO even though its people owe a great deal to the EU.
Berlusconi took the tough measures to defend his country. He is not afraid of the EU.
On the other hand, Malta seems to be OWNED rather than being a FULL member of the EU
JOHN MAHONEY
Jun 20th 2008, 00:42
FRONTEX ? What a farce. We joined the EU and became the laughing stock of Europe.We are a country of amateurs, strong with the weak and weak with the strong. If I had formed a part of this useless, hapless, helpless administration I would have packed up. Why don't they? People who tried to warn us about this situation were taken to court.......and someone wants to see Malta become the best among EU states..............DREAM ON.......
Paul Barrett
Jun 20th 2008, 00:39
With Goggle Earth you can zoom in and see even the smallest of boats in the Med. Is there not just one sat that could be directed to watch the Med, track or backtrack these boats and find the source.
If the EU has not got a suitable set then they should ask the USA to help.
Once we have the source (or mother ship), Frontex could then target the area or indeed the ship and in the case of a ship, deal with it in accordance with the applicable law dealing with people trafficking.
If there is not an applicable law to stop, search and arrest people traffickers in International waters then it is time such a law was brought in.
Joseph Calleja
Jun 19th 2008, 23:45
I think that the Maltese people should have the government look into the illegal emigrant problem and fast. Somebody is making a lot of money in human trafficking and I mean lots of money, the more people these traffickers bring across the Mediterranean the more money they make. Now that they found a safe spot to drop them off ( Tuna Pens )it makes the commute for them a lot faster and a lot less risky to transport. This won't get any better by means, illegal emigration is a big business.
tony caruana
Jun 19th 2008, 23:11
Frontex ? what frontex ? They do not even have us on their map !! I complained to them last year and no body bothered!
http://www.frontex.europa.eu/
How is it possible that we have so many people working for EU institutions and nobody does anything about this. WHERE IS OUR PRIDE ?
L Sammut
Jun 19th 2008, 23:02
I think the police should investigate these cases. It looks - at least to say so - strange that this trend has been going on since the new ILLEGAL (and not irregular)* immigrant season opened. In my opinion they are being driven there by somebody who then informs the Maltese authorities and asks for them to be picked up.
* irregular is somebody who breaches regulations. These people break the laws of a sovergein country (Malta) when they cross our borders without permisson. So they are ILLEGAL not irregular.
Kamal Awad
Jun 19th 2008, 23:00
EUROPE'S HUNGER FOR WORKERS
As part of efforts to fulfil Europe's hunger for workers and alleviate the pressure of illegal migration, the European Commission is set to kick off a lengthy legislative process aimed at putting in place a common immigration policy - something the bloc has been trying to achieve since 1999.
"We want to help those who are really refugees to come to Europe without dying at seas" (Photo: mlp.org.mt)
* Print
* Comment article
On Tuesday (17 June), EU home affairs commissioner Jacques Barrot will table key ideas on how the 27-nation union should deal with the hundreds of thousands of non-EU nationals who enter its territory each year.
http://euobserver.com/22/26333
Martin Camilleri
Jun 19th 2008, 22:55
Where is Frontex? Or this is the joke of the year?
Oscar Cassar
Jun 19th 2008, 22:29
This is incredible… the same ‘news’ day by day in connection with these tuna pen. Probably by September some authority will investigate if these trips are intentionally ending at this end or no. The problem will be the quantity of illegal immigrants dropped on these sort of ‘Bus Stops’ this Summer.
ray pace
Jun 19th 2008, 22:00
FRONTEX is asleep.......!!!!!
I. M. Dingli
Jun 19th 2008, 21:40
I'm starting to believe that these illegal immigrants apart from having satellite phones they also have tuna pen tracking devices!!!
joseph zammit
Jun 19th 2008, 21:07
maybe the goverment need to introduce a new ferry service soon - seems that ILLEGAL imigrants and their abusers are finding it a more convinient way of trasporting them cheaper. If the Frontex gets closer to these fish pens probably will be more succesfull